Richard Terry back on Aldeburgh Beach with his wife Joanna with his wedding ring after loosing it during the Boxing Day swim.

Richard Terry and his wife Joanna, who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year, feared the worst after they realised he was missing his wedding ring shortly after finishing the festive dip in the sea.

Using a metal detector given as a serendipitous Christmas present, Mrs Terry scoured the beach the following day but failed to recover anything.

But a large search party consisting of family and friends stormed the beach the next day and, with the light fading, the buried treasure was found.

The couple, who met in a supermarket in Saudi Arabia, are currently living in Toronto, Canada due to Mr Terry’s employment as a structural engineer for firm Arup, which designed the Sydney Opera House.

They rented a seaside property in Aldeburgh, where they wish to spend their retirement, for a week over Christmas. Their three children from London visited as well as friends from the Ipswich area.

Mr Terry, a keen swimmer, completed the fundraising challenge but struggled to reach the shore due to the large waves and undertow currents.

He said: “It was a bit of a walk back along the beach to the rest of my family who were waiting with clothes. I then looked down and to my horror saw my wedding ring had disappeared. I never expected to see it again.

“We spent a couple of hours hunting at low tide the next day but couldn’t find it.

“Then on Tuesday, a group of friends and family went down and one of them, Helen Cook from Little Bealings, found the ring down near the water, glittering at her.

“They brought it back to the house and showed it to me and I couldn’t believe it.”

Mrs Terry, 57, who grew up in parts of Suffolk including Woodbridge, described the discovery as a “Christmas miracle”.

She said: “It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. When Helen found it, she shouted across to everyone and everyone screamed and couldn’t believe it.

“We were looking for an hour in low tide again and the light was fading. It was quite unbelievable – finding it glittering in the beach like that.”

Mr Terry added: “I think next time I might take off my ring or tape it up.”